They both claim to joke about it now. But two years ago it was no laughing matter. It was then that 16-year-old WHL-hopeful Andrew Ladd made it through only a couple weeks of training camp before being cut by the Vancouver Giants.

The coach of the team was none other than current Hitmen co-coach Dean Evason.

Admittedly devastated by the move, Ladd played junior A in Coquitlam that year where he made enough of an impression to prompt Hitmen GM-coach Kelly Kisio to trade for him last year. What followed was one of the most surprising developments in the Western League as Ladd scored 30 goals and went on to tie Pavel Brendl as the highest-drafted Hitmen player of all-time, selected fourth overall by Carolina.

So, when Evason parted ways with Vancouver this summer and signed on to be the Hitmen's co-coach, it set up an ironic reunion of sorts with Ladd.

"I told him I wouldn't tell him the story (of why he was cut) until we played Vancouver," joked Evason.

"But I sat down with him during the exhibition season and we chatted about it. It makes for a funny story. In the game there are guys that get cut or sent down and guys make mistakes. What's important in our business is that kids develop. He's done that and we're so happy for him."

Evason explained that because it was his first year with Vancouver, he depended heavily on team scouts for input.

"I'm not trying to pass the buck but we didn't know who he was and we had to rely on different people for their opinion on how he plays the game," said Evason, who is highly regarded in WHL circles.

"Their assessment of how he played was obviously a lot different than the way he plays. He's a very gritty, determined player and I think the organization there thought he was a little bit soft. Certainly he's the furthest thing from that. Obviously the whole organization in Vancouver made a mistake."

Although somewhat uncomfortable when asked about the snub in Vancouver, Ladd admitted it couldn't have worked out any better as it allowed him to emerge into one of the world's hottest prospects who is all but guaranteed a three-year entry level deal worth at least $3 million US.

"At the time I was disappointed at being cut but looking back I got to get more ice time playing junior A and then look what happened from there," said the 18-year-old winger from Maple Ridge B.C.

AROUND THE HORN: Darryl Sutter on Andrew Ference after the Canmore resident voiced the type of frustration everyone is feeling during the lockout: "It's very unsettling -- he's an emotional guy," said Sutter after reading Ference's comments in the Sun. "Like I told him, 'go run up one of those mountains and have a helicopter take you down and then run up again.' " ... Well, the Montreal Expos are finally gone. In related news, Canada's soccer team just slipped three spots to 99th in the world rankings. Tough to say which development Canadians care about less. Thing is, how misguided must you be to blame for the demise of the Expos? Blame Montreal's various owners, blame the 'fans', blame the local corporate community and blame the stadium but don't blame the league office, which kept the club on life support longer than it deserved ... Lost in the Stamps' shocking victory over B.C. is the fact that if Duncan O'Mahony exhibited any level of competence at McMahon Stadium his club would have extended its eight-game winning streak. His three field goal misses single-handedly prevented the Lions from putting the game out of reach long before the final quarter.

PARTING GIFTS: Don't know about you but I can't get enough of this Shaq/Kobe feud ... Not to be outdone by the Canmore Eagles, who have Andrew Ference coaching and skating with them, Doug Hergenheim now has Phoenix Coyotes defenceman Brad Ference doing the same for his Calgary Royals. Brad, a Calgary native, is still looking at options in Germany where he may soon be playing ... Hands up all those who believed for one second the National Lacrosse League would allow petty labour issues to squander the opportunity given to them by the NHL lockout. Didn't think so ... Silver lining No. 122 of a lengthy NHL lockout: Hopefully we've seen the last of Brett Hull ... It wasn't all that long ago that World Hockey Association Commissioner Bobby Hull stormed out of a press conference when asked if he really thought the league would actually start up. "You media people are so negative," he snarled as he stomped by. The term is 'realists' Bobby ... Pele said last week Brazilian soccer players should go on strike, in part, because the country is not ready to host the 2014 World Cup. Talk about premature denunciation ... Anyone ever wonder how much hockey teams spend on sticks these days? In the WHL teams pay a flat rate of anywhere from $25,000 to $35,000 a year to a stickmaker which provides all the players with as many sticks as they need throughout the season ... After an off-season of rehab Lynn Loyns joined Chuck Kobasew in Lowell yesterday for the AHL club's training camp. Yes, I just wrote about the Lowell Lock Monsters. It's going to be a long winter.